Welcome to My Website!!

Hello! Please come in. Make yourself at home, you might even find a good book to read while you are here. All are welcome.  Whether you favor fiction or non-fiction, there is something here for everyone. `

I am a native Floridian, a Southerner who grew up without brothers or sisters. As an “only child,” (a state that should be illegal), I spent multi-trillion hours reading. Books and characters became well-known friends. Growing up in the South before the age of technology, I’ve been touched by my environment and culture. However, being a city gal with a country heart, I live in a log cabin with a huge yellow lab, O' Sheen and an orange cat, Lil Jude. I like to share what stories I have hoping they will live for others.

One cherished book from my childhood is J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. I remember Peter, standing on a rock surrounded by swirling angry waters facing certain death. Bravely, he cried to the heavens, “What an adventure death will be!” And I say what an adventure life can be. I find life fully exciting, often baffling and terribly curious, but a great adventure, nonetheless. So let’s write about it, in truth and in fancy. Did not William Blake proclaim, “The imagination is not a state, it is the human existence itself.”

Take a tour, read about my books and the reviews below. Everyone has a book hidden deep  inside them; some of us just write them down. Send me an email, share your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you!

The Madonnas of St. Augustine – A Remarkable History (2013)

This is my latest book, a non-fiction work with a unique perspective.    

Review:  Award-winning author Nancy Murray’s The Madonnas of St. Augustine - A Remarkable History, opens with the following lines. “The wind whipped the priest’s cassock as he strode the deck of the ship, and rippled the pages of his breviary as he tried to finish night prayers. Reading had become useless, praying even harder. Father Lopez . . . wondered if the expedition to the New World was itself useless.”

These lines set the tone and give a hint of what is to come, a fast-paced historical account filled with drama that breathes life into St. Augustine’s varied past. But in telling the story, Murray has done something bold; she’s anchored St. Augustine’s past in the stories of three statues of the Madonna. In this way Murray offers readers a creative approach to understanding the complex historic and spiritual influences that gave rise to present-day St. Augustine. Above all, this highly readable story is a testament to the author’s love of the city and her faith. Because of this, St. Augustine’s heritage comes fully alive. In addition to Murray’s story, the book includes fine watercolor illustrations by artist Mary Ann Miller.

Elle Thornton, author of The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis

The Night the Elephants Cried – A Story of the Tsunami (2011)

Historical Fiction.  All about elephants and tsunamis and the courage of a young man faced with tragedy. This book won an international award.

Review: My name is Kalena and I am 11 years old. I am in the 6^th grade at Middle School xxx. I have read your book “The Night the Elephants Cried.” I enjoyed this book so much I just couldn’t put it down once I started! The bond between Jerry and Nonni was a bond that can’t be topped by any relationship between a mahout and their elephant. This book was exciting and made you say “wow”. Jerry’s love for elephants makes me want to learn more about them! I can’t wait to open up another one of your books!

Kalena XXX    Middle Schooler

Gullah, The Nawleans Cat Meets Katrina (2007)

A beautifully illustrated picture story book, again, historidal fiction!

Review:  "Gullah, The Nawleans Cat Meets Katrina" is about a cat called Gullah whose mom says to stay at the house during Hurricane Katrina, but he didn't listen. He ran off and then the hurricane started. Gullah thought that Hurricane Katrina was a girl cat but he found out that it wasn't a girl cat the hard way. ...I think other kids should read this book because it shows how hard it was even for a cat to survive Hurricane Katrina. All the pouring rain, roaring wind, and the horrible flooding wiped out most of the city, but the spirit of new Orleans, the singing, dancing, and fun in New Orleans still lives...I thing that is what the story is trying to tell people. I loved the book.

--Emily Ruth Martin-Willott, age 9